The New York Post has a reputation of sorts. It’s not the most credible fountain of news, yet it endures. Why then, does it persist if it’s a known ‘questionable source?’ Who knows, but the Enquirer, Star and others are far more suspect yet don’t seem to have any problems prospering. I suspect the NYPost survives because of its entertainment value.

I saw the following article, yesterday morning because I follow the New York Post on Twitter (@NYPost). I like a shot of tongue-in-cheek journalism in the morning, along with my coffee; makes me feel alive in the early hours of the day. Notwithstanding, I take in what I read with an inquisitive mind and a grain of salt, given the source.

Today was different. This headline poked me in the eyes so sharply that I let out audible dismay. I shook my head in annoyance as I exhaled “for the love of fuck...” while reading the below:

I think we can all agree that men shouldn’t beat women. Less specifically I suppose, people shouldn’t beat other people unless it’s their job (e.g. boxers & football players). We should all give talking a shot and leave the fists for those rare occasions when they’re merited.

If you’re unsure what kind of situation qualifies as ‘merited,’ here’s a handy list I’ve compiled for your reference:

If you are physically attacked

Fight back

If your life is in danger

Do not go down without fighting

Hard

If the life of another is in danger and you can help

Do not go down without fighting

Hard

That’s pretty much it

Additionally, men who hit women are cowards with emotional issues and the women who lack the strength to leave those men are notably unfortunate.

With that said, calling Rihanna a disgrace to women might be overdoing it a little, even for you, NYPost. I agree in that she’s a monumental idiot for dating Chris Brown again. It’s also true that she’s essentially spitting in the face of every person who heard her story, saw the evidence and developed feelings of empathy for her. Showing up in court, backing the man who beat her face, is a pretty creative way of giving us all the bird. I will give her that.

The way I see it, there’s both good and bad news.

The good news is…she’s an entertainer.

I know that sounds backward and anti-climactic, but it’s not. What I mean is that she’s a singer, she get’s paid to sing songs, do shows, dance and ultimately, entertain. She is not the president of our nation. She’s not the Secretary of State. She’s not the Commander-in-Chief, she’s the lady that gets paid to sing and dance. She’s making mistakes and gives zero fucks what we think about that. Should we really be this obsessed with what an entertainer does in her free time anyway?

The bad news is…she’s a rebel entertainer.

She’s going to spit in your face and you’re going to be intrigued anyway. I know I am, otherwise I wouldn’t have clicked on the link to the post in my Twitter feed to begin with. She’s also young and while I’m sure she’s worldly, there are some things you cannot learn without time and experience. Essentially she’s being young and incredibly stupid. While I agree that Rihanna is leading by horrid example right now, this doesn’t equate to the degradation of womankind.

Instead of shitting on her name each time it is uttered as if she were Lord Voldemort, we might want to take this spectacularly publicized, bad choice as an opportunity to talk to our impressionable youth about domestic violence. If you’re a parent, open the dialogue. If you’re a role model or friend, spread the word: real men don’t beat women and you should avoid those that do, at all costs.

I suppose this really applies to everyone, not just men. No one should date an emotional coward that beats on people who likely don’t have comparable strength with which to defend themselves. It’s not cool, but rather pathetic and maddening.

In other words, if you know jokers like the woman below:

...Try to talk some sense into them.

I understand that it’s cliché to suggest that you look at the bright side and make something as tragically hip as Rihanna’s life decisions, into an opportunity to create discourse, but so the fuck what? Please don’t misunderstand. I fully believe that if, by some miracle, any of the involved parties were to read this post, they’d likely tell me to fuck off. The kicker is, I happily would, because if they’re entitled to put their ridiculous shit out into the universe, so am I.